Nakushita Neko Toshi
by Amu Tsukiyomi
Summary: Re Write of MidnightLucifer's story. Ikuto is a Neko, a species that has been hunted to near extinction for its soft fur. What will Amu do when she finds one near her house? Read and find out! Rating may change.
1. The Boy behind the Hedge

Hi, Amu Tsukiyomi, Authoress here. I am writing this as if I was Amu. None of this has actually happened to me. Actually, I could never write about what does happen to me, I'd get flustered and embarrased... Also, I can't promise that I'll update often. I can be very, VERY scattere-brained and I might forget about the story entirely, though I will try my best to not do either of those two things.

Anyways, here's the story!

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Chapter one: The boy behind the hedge

This story is true. I would know, it happened to me. Oh, sure, you're thinking 'what's with this crazy chick? She believes she IS Amu? She really needs help…..', well it shows how much you know. I guess most people aren't aware that most "fictitious" stories are actually true... This may come as a shock to you, but I AM REAL. Well, fine, don't believe me, but remember, if you find a Neko near your house passed out, that I told you so.

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She was outside, riding her bike back from the grocery store and it was _RAINING_. "Why did I decide that I just HAD to have more potato chips? I have more than enough at home….. but I didn't have _these_ chips and _these_ chips are soooooo tasty…… ARGH! I should've staye-" If she had been paying any attention to where she was going, our heroine would have seen the big hole in the sidewalk and avoided it.

"OOOF!" she cried as she and all of the chips she had bought flew off of her bike and onto the cold, _wet_ ground.

Looking up at the sky and glaring, she picked herself up off of the ground and started to search for her precious chips. After looking for fifteen minutes she had found all of them and a surprise. Hidden behind a hedge, a boy of about 17 lay on the ground. If this wasn't unusual enough, he had midnight blue hair, a very handsome face **–**_**MAJOR **_**understatement….. *****drools*- **and oddest of all, cat ears and a tail. Thinking to herself 'What is this guy thinking, passing out while it's RAINING!?!? Does he WANT to get hypothermia and die?' our heroine decides to pick up the guy, not knowing anything about him, and take him home.

Thankfully her house wasn't that far from where she'd wiped out on her bike, which she really needs to go back and get….. Anyways, she had half-carried, half-dragged the stranger to her house **–he was really heavy, what can I say-** and once she'd gotten him inside, she went to go put her chips away, only to find that all of the chips in her pantry had been EATEN.

Annoyed that her chips had been eaten once again, she went over to her neighbor's house and knocked on the door.

"Come in! ….. Oh, hi Amu-chi… Lovely day, isn't it? I love rain, just love it, it is soo calming and you kno-" Amu gives her neighbor and friend, Yaya, a death glare. "You broke into my house and ate all of my potato chips!" Yaya looks around hoping to find a way to get Amu to calm down. "But Amu-chi! I was hungry!" "I don't care! You have food here! And now there's a random stranger in my house out cold and I know nothing about him!" By this point Yaya had escaped into the kitchen, looking for some candy to eat. "Oooooh! Can I come over and see him? Please?" Folding her arms as she entered the kitchen Amu stared at Yaya incredulously. "You think I am going to let you into my house after you ate all of my chips? Why should I ever let you back? Give me one good reason." Of course Yaya pulled out her infamous puppy-dog eyes. "Amu-chi……" whined Yaya.

"Fine!" Yaya squealed happily and ran to get her coat. "Thank you Amu-chi! I promise not to eat your chips again!" and then Yaya ran out the door.

'That girl….. she's always doing something and then apologizing……' Shaking her head Amu follows her skipping friend back to Amu's house.

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*sigh* Sadly Ikuto's shemxiness has not yet made a conscious appearance…..

Ikuto: What did you say about me being shmexy?

*gives Ikuto a head smack* You heard wrong.

Ikuto: Whatever, but I know you want me.

*blushes* I married you, didn't I?

Ikuto: I guess I was just to shmexy to not marry, my Strawberry.

……I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME YOUR STRAWBERRY!

Ikuto: *laughs* yes……. My Strawberry.

*grabs Ikuto by the shirt collar, throws him out of the room and locks him out* Let's see you be so cocky now! ……….. Maybe I shouldn't've done that...

Tadase: Hi Hinamori-san.

……….!!!!! When'd you get here?!?!?! And I'm not Hinamori-san! *opens door and shoves Tadase outside with Ikuto and locks the door again* Where'd he come from????

Anyways, you can review if you want to, but I'm not going to hold you/something you love hostage.

Ikuto (From the other side of the door): No one believes you!

*ignores*

Also, there is a poll on my profile and I'd like more people to participate in the poll, please.


	2. The Girl on the Floor

Chapter 2: The Girl on the Floor

Just for you, Yuki's Little Girl, I have updated! I might've taken _way_ longer to do so, but your review encouraged me to update sooner!

For that I loan you Ikuto for a week and give you cookies!

Ikuto: NO! I don't want to be loaned out! For all I know she could be one of my obsessed fans!

Quit being such a child, besides only really awesome reviewers will be loaned you.

Ikuto: You mean this might happen more than once?!

Yep.

Ikuto: *Glares*

Now, Go! *Hands Ikuto and the cookies to Yuki's Little Girl* ENJOY!

And for you Aangsfan, I give you cookies! You are my first reviewer ever! And I kinda loaned Ikuto out already…. So..... umm..... You can request a story you'd like have written.

Now, ONTO THE STORY!!!!!

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'Mmm….. Warm…, wait, why am I warm… I was outside earlier….' Opening his eyes the Cat-boy notices that he is in someone's home. 'Where am I? What am I doing here? Should I get up and look around?' After debating if he should explore his new surroundings, there is the sound of a door being opened, startling him back onto the couch, feigning sleep.

"-Was so interesting, Amu-chi! All of the colorful lights and the costumes….. I want to go back some time!" Barely opening his eyes, he saw two girls, one was short and had her brown hair in two braids and the other girl was tall with long pink hair that reached just below her waist. The pink-haired one had just shut the door, his only means of escape if things went bad. 'Are they Hunters? They don't look like hunters, but then again not all hunters wear that ridiculous camouflage…' he tensed up, preparing to attack them if he had to, but his fears were unfounded. "See, there he is, Yaya, the boy I found behind the hedge. I don't know what possessed him to pass out there, so I decided to bring him home and make sure her was okay." Said the pink-haired one. 'She… wants… to help… me? Does she even know what I am? And what about the brown-haired one, I think her name is Yaya…. What does she want?'

When Yaya saw me she squealed "He sure is cute! His ears and tail look so soft! Can I touch them, Amu-chi? Please?" Shaking her head, Amu ushered Yaya out the door. "That girl…. Now let's see if there's anything wrong with you, Mr. Cat-boy." She reached towards my ears "Are these really a soft as they look? Are they real?" by this point he had relaxed and had decided to fully open his eyes.

"Aaaah!" Startled she fell backwards onto the floor. "I…I had no idea you were awake. Are you hungry or thirsty? Are you hurt?" He stared, open-mouthed at Amu. "You don't want anything from me?" She tilted her head to the side quizzically, a look of pure confusion on her face. "Why would I want anything from you? You were passed out behind a hedge. I'm only trying to make certain you're okay." "You… you don't know what I am, you don't know who I am and you brought me into your house? For all you know I could be a serial killer!"

Worry crept into her golden eyes. "Are you? I don't think you are, what with the cat ears and tail. If you were, what would they call you, the Cat eared killer? You look harmless." A sadistic smirk worked its way onto his face. "Harmless, huh?" Getting up off of the couch he pinned her to the ground, his arms on either side of her head. A blush painted her cheek, making him smirk even more. 'she's cute when she blushes, let's see how much I can make her blush.' He thought and brought his face in close to hers.

"I can assure you I'm not completely harmless. I can be extremely dangerous." The blush on her face intensified. "I…I still t-think you're not d-dangerous." He leaned in even closer, their noses nearly touching. "Oh, really? Then I should show you how dangerous I really am." Her eyes widened and slowly closed. His lips brushed her cheek and he whispered in her ear "Be prepared." And then he nipped her ear with her teeth.

She lay there stunned for a moment and then she shoved him off and ran to the other side of the room. "Who are you?! What did you do?" He looked directly at her and said "I am Ikuto Tsukiyomi, a Neko and I bit your ear. It is a Neko sign of affection." "You bit my ear?! I don't care if it is a sign of… affection, don't do that! And what is a Neko?"

He stared at her. 'How can she not know what a Neko is? I guess they don't tell people about what happened to me race anymore, do they?' He looked away from Amu and started to explain "A Neko is a race who are half cat, half human. We have hunted to near extinction for our fur, which is, as… Yaya noticed, extremely soft. I and a few other Nekos managed to avoid being captured by the Hunters. There are about ten or twenty Nekos left, including me."

He looked back at Amu only to see her crying. "That's horrible! I promise I won't let that happen to you. Even if it means letting you stay here." Walking over to the crying girl, gratitude on his face he spoke "Don't cry, please, don't cry. A pretty girl like you should never have to cry, especially for someone like me. If it helps, I accept your offer and will stay here with you." She looked up at him, a watery smile on her face. "You will? I'm so glad!" She then flung herself at him and hugged him, which shocked him considering how she'd reacted earlier. A smirk slowly crept onto his face as he hugged her. 'I'm going to make her life _much_ more interesting….'

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FYI I am calling her a girl because I don't like the word 'woman'. It just doesn't seem to fit. In this story Amu is 19-20 ish.

OK! I am having a contest! Whoever gives me the best review:

Constructive criticism

Encouragement

Humor

Whatever

They will be made into a character in this story! I will not announce the winner for a while I will probably announce the winner at the end of the fourth chapter, possibly sooner, if I see a review I absolutely love.

I am currently writing a one-shot. Plot bunny, what can I say? I would have given a description for it, but every attempt I wrote felt.... wrong. I just couldn't write a description I was happy with and I'd give the title, but I am planning on changing the title. I need to finish that one-shot.....

*opens door to leave room*

I forgotten I'd thrown Tadase out here..... I should take him to his house….. See you next chapter, and hopefully Tadase won't show up in my (our) room again..... I really do not like him…


	3. The Friends in the Park

Chapter 3: The Friends in the Park

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

I HAVE UPDATED!!!

Thank you people for the entries I have received so far for the Review Contest! I must inform everyone that I have decided I need more reviews before I pick a winner. Also, I realized that I didn't mention one very, VERY important piece of information about the contest; **you are not limited to only one review.** Since there are three chapters so far, each chapter is like a ticket, if you review that chapter, it counts as a separate entry for me to consider, upping your chances of winning.

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, you can't take Ikuto away from Amu, seeing as he is currently with someone else because I loaned him to her. Also, I love your Llama dance. It reminds me of the Llama song- Here's a llama, there's a llama…… *sweatdrop* yeah….. *scratches back of head awkwardly*

Iloveblue2200, thank you for having such confidence in my writing, I know I don't.

Yuki's Little Girl, I hope Ikuto has behaved himself while he has been staying with you, I know how he can be sometimes, especially when he doesn't get what he wants.

L8tr Sk8tr, I'll try to make the chapters longer, but I'm not certain if I will succeed.

InsaneWolf42, you'll just have to read and find out, won't you? I'm not going to say whether you are correct or not. What kind of authoress would I be if I gave away the plot?

Bonus points (and cookies) to anyone who can recognize where I got the basic format for my chapter titles.

Chapter 3: The Friends in the Park

Heading to with Amu-chi to her house I skipped excitedly. "I can't wait to see who he is! Is he cute? What does he look like? Ooooh! Look! Ice cream!" Running into the park that is between our houses, I went over to the man selling the sweet treats "Amu-chi~" She shook her head, answering my unasked question.

Pouting, I reached into my purse and pulled out the two dollars for the ice cream. "You're such a meanie, Amu-chi!" "You always want me to buy you ice cream whenever you see some. Besides, you ate my chips. Did you really expect me to buy you more food?" I tried to glare at her, but only succeeded in making her laugh.

As I ate the creamy coldness, we headed back towards her house and the unknown boy she'd found earlier. "Why'd you take him in? You never allow boys in your house." Amu-chi flushed pink "I…I don't know. There was something about him, and besides, he was unconscious and probably still is."

Skipping beside her I remembered a store I'd been in earlier in the week. "When I was at the mall I went into this store. The store was really, really dark and there were a lot of old guys, but it was so interesting, Amu-chi! All of the colorful lights and the costumes….. I want to go back some time!" Amu-chi looked kind of shocked as she closed the door "You do know what that store is, right?" "Of course I do! It's like an everything store!"

Turning, I saw a boy on her couch. He had cat ears and a tail! I walked over to the couch "See, there he is, Yaya, the boy I found behind the hedge. I don't know what possessed him to pass out there, so I decided to bring him home and make sure her was okay." 'Why is Amu-chi telling me this? Didn't she already tell me why she'd taken him in?'

Pushing the thought aside I squealed, "He sure is cute! His ears and tail look so soft! Can I touch them, Amu-chi? Please?" Shaking her head, Amu-chi ushered me out the front door. "No, Yaya, I don't think it would be a good idea, he might wake up if you did that. Bye, Yaya, see you tomorrow." And shut the door.

"Meanie!" I shouted, turning to walking back to my house. As I walked back my mood slowly changed back to normal and I started to skip. I like Amu-chi too much to stay mad at her.

I decided to take the really long way back home, through the park. As I walked I saw swings and decided to swing for a while. Then I went to find the ice cream man again, but he wasn't where he had been earlier, so I walked all over the park trying to find him.

After searching for a while, I started to get tired and I decided to sit on a nearby bench in front of the fountain. "Oh Hello, Yaya-san." Looking to my left I saw my friend, Tadase. He has been friends with Amu-chi and I since elementary school. I had not seen him in quite a while, so it was a pleasant surprise.

"Yay! I got to see Amu-chi today, and now I get to see you!" Tadase-san smiled and sat down next to me on the bench "You've seen Amu-san today? How is she?" "She's fine, but she did pick up a really cute boy from behind a hedge and brought him into her house."

Tadase-san stared at me. "I thought she didn't allow boys in her house." I stood up, tired of sitting and Tadase-san followed suit "I thought so too, but I guess she didn't want to leave him outside in the rain." we started to walk towards my house, still taking. "Or maybe she was interested in his midnight blue cat ears and tail or maybe-"

"What did you just say? He has midnight blue cat ears and a tail?" He stopped walking and looked at me. "I said he had midnight blue cat ears and a tail, what else could I have said?"

Suddenly a scary, twisted smile lit up Tadase-san's face, but was quickly replaced by surprise. It was a look I'd never seen on his face before. It made him look completely different. 'Why did Tadase-san look scary just then? Was it something I said? I guess it isn't really important.'

We walked for a while in silence. I could not stop picturing that weird smile of Tadase-san's. 'Tadase-san is such a nice person, but that smile…. It was almost like he was an entirely different person. Like a wicked and evil version of himself…'

I glanced at Tadase-san, hoping it would help calm my fears. His face had a look of deep concentration on it and then, only for a moment, that smile flickered across his features once again. 'I hope Tadase-san's okay…. He's never acted like this before…'

He turned to me, stopping near the sidewalk "I've never seen something like that before, a person with cat ears and a tail. Do you think it would be okay if I went to Amu-san's house? I'd really like to see this guy for myself."

I did not want the current, strange, Tadase-san to show up at Amu-chi's house. I wasn't certain how he would act. 'How can I keep him away from Amu-chi's house? I'm almost certain the boy she found earlier is why he smiled that really creepy smile....... I know! I'll say Amu-chi doesn't want any visitors! I bet that'll work!' Hoping Tadase-san wouldn't see through my lie, I turned to him "When I left Amu-chi's house she said that she wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. Something about making certain that the boy wasn't going to die from the rain, I think."

I started to walk back towards my house, hoping that Tadase-san would follow, away from Amu-chi's house. Something was up with him and it worried me. I stopped, turned, giving him my best puppy-eyes, knowing that no one could resist them and grabbed his hand "I want Tade-kun to walk me home!" and then I started to skip.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Tadase-san went with me back to my house, just like I'd wanted him to. "Must you call me that? You knew I'd walk you back just because of the puppy-eyes." I laughed. I most definitely knew, I just wanted to call him Tade-kun, a name I knew he'd do anything not to hear.

All too soon we had reached my house and I knew I would not be able to keep him away from Amu-chi's house much longer. 'I hope Tadase-san forgets whatever he has with cat-boy.' Turning to Tadase-san and letting go of his hand, I reached into my purse and fished out my house keys. Grabbing the door handle I unlocked the door and started to walk inside. "Thank you for walking me back to my house, Tade-kun."

He started to get red in the face "Don't call me that, Yaya-san!" I waved at him and closed the door. I put my things away and went into the living room to read a book.

"Sometimes it's just too much fun annoying people, especially you, _Tade-kun_."

*sigh*

I really tried to make the chapter longer. I just don't write very long chapters, it's not my style.

I hope more people review. I just feel that it wouldn't be fair if there were only five entrants in the Review Contest…. But, I guess that's just how I am. That's the also reason why I'm leaving the same poll on my profile for a really, _really_ long time.

FYI I do have the basic ideas for the next two chapters, but with everything that is coming up I probably won't get to NNT for a while *cries*

Never fear, I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY!!! I just won't update soon.


	4. The Hunter in the tree

Chapter 4: The Hunter in the tree

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

I HAVE UPDATED (finally)!!!

Ok, people, when I post the next chapter of NNT I will announce the winner of the Contest!

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, it doesn't matter if you're saving Ikuto from Tadase, it is not nice to do that to Amu. And yes, bonus points _are_ just so bonus-y. Even thought Tadase is and always be evil, I don't think having him just speak "Evilish" is a good idea. I mean, I'd have to translate EVERYTHING and that'd take FOREVER! Sorry about not updating sooner, I've had a serious battle with motivation, or in my case, lack there of. And I'm NOT A CRICKET! Crickets are scary….. so green and jumpy….. *shudders* I hate bugs….. I honestly never expected to have a prep (whoops I nearly spelled that 'perp'. That would have been awkward…..) "visit" my reviews.

Yuki's Little Girl, it is good to know that Ikuto behaved himself. Thank you for taking such good care of him (he loved the cookies). I am glad that he has come back.

Ikuto: Yeah! Just don't loan me out again! I was lucky that Yuki's-san was a nice fan girl, but I might not be so lucky next time…..

*glares at Ikuto*

Anyways, I have updated, though I really should have done so MUCH sooner…. And on your idea, I planned to do something like that next chapter.

Skatergirl818, I didn't say I wouldn't, just that it would be a while. And see, this new, extra-special, chapter I have posted proves that I am updating NNT.

DarkChocolat, well, I wanted people to have a better idea of what happened with Yaya, and I felt that for the last half of the chapter to make sense, the whole thing with Tadase, it was necessary.

C g 2 . n e n e t w i n (it won't let me put your name otherwise, which makes me really, really mad...), I hope you haven't drowned! Yaya was supposed to be rather annoying in this chapter. I also wanted you to have a little insight into her mind, hopefully showing people that she is not always such a child, that she is very intelligent.

Aangsfan, so do I! Maybe I should at some point write the story of why Tadase hates that nickname. What do you think?

Bonus points (and cookies) to anyone who can recognize where I got the basic format for my chapter titles. One person has been very, VERY close, but is missing one very important piece of the puzzle, IE exactly where it came from. They've gotten the general place I found the format, but not the specific place.

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Chapter 4: The Hunter in the trees

"Thank you for walking me back to my house, Tade-kun."

I felt my face heat up in anger. I hate it when people call me that…that disgusting nickname! It made me remember things I'd rather forget. Yaya-san knows that and she still insists on calling me that.

"Don't call me that, Yaya-san!" She merely waved at me and shut the door in my face. How dare she shut the door in my face! As I prepared to knock on her door and tell her off I stopped, remembering the conversation from earlier.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Yay! I got to see Amu-chi today, and now I get to see you!" Yaya-san was sitting on a bench and I decided to sit down next to her, smiling as I did so. "You've seen Amu-san today? How is she?" I inquired, having not seen Amu-san in quite some time. "She's fine, but she did pick up a really cute boy from behind a hedge and brought him into her house."_

_Tadase-san stared at me. "I thought she didn't allow boys in her house."_

"_I thought so too, but I guess she didn't want to leave him outside in the rain." we started to walk towards my house, still taking. "Or maybe she was interested in his midnight blue cat ears and tail or maybe-"_

_Yaya-san suddenly got up and I followed suit. "What did you just say? He has midnight blue cat ears and a tail?" I stopped walking and looked at Yaya-san._

"_I said he had midnight blue cat ears and a tail, what else could I have said?"_

_Suddenly I couldn't help but smile. 'Tsukiyomi Ikuto, I now know where you are. Finally I can take revenge on you for destroying my father's reputation as a Hunter. That day when you escaped my father after so many others had tried left me without a father. He'd sat in that tree all day and just as he was about to shoot you, you who had led so many other Nekos to safety, you just HAD to look up and run away, __robbing__ my father of a rightful kill. I will do what my father never could and bring honor to my family's name once more. I will kill you, Tsukiyomi Ikuto.'_

_End Flashback_

* * *

"I will bring honor to my family, I will kill you, Tsukiyomi Ikuto! This I promise." Deciding that visiting Amu-san and seeing my mortal enemy was a worthier pursuit; I turned and walked away from Yaya-san's house.

Yaya-san had proved to be very helpful, giving me such important information without any idea to whom she was really talking. She had told me where I could finally find my mortal enemy. I had been searching for years, unbeknownst to my friends. I had used them to advance my search, without them ever realizing what I was actually doing.

As I walked I worked out a plan in my head, a plan for the destruction of Tsukiyomi Ikuto and his band of refugees form the Neko clan. I would find out where they were from Yaya-san. I knew she would want to visit Amu-san soon to see 'the mysterious cat-boy' again.

It had always been very easy to draw information from Yaya-san; she was never very good at keeping information to herself, almost like she just HAD to tell someone. I knew I could count on Yaya-san to tell me everything she learns.

Although, I wasn't certain I could wait that long. I'd spent more than enough time waiting for my chance at revenge. If I went to Amu-san's house today I could learn what she knows sooner than relying on Yaya-san.

I knew from the information the Hunter's Society had gathered, that there are only a few places where the remaining Nekos could be hiding. They have not been able to check all of them yet. But, if I speak with Amu-san when Tsukiyomi Ikuto is not around, I shall important information concerning the Neko clan from her. She always was so very easy to manipulate, especially because she has liked me for so long and I would exploit that to my advantage.

I could no longer contain my joy and keep my princely mask in place. I started to skip about, receiving many odd stares from the strangers I passed. I didn't care, I couldn't. I was going to kill my mortal enemy and be the most successful Hunter ever! "Mwahahahaha! Mwahaha! Mwahahahahahah-cough-cough"

I looked around for a water fountain. 'My evil laugh will need some work, if I am going to laugh in Tsukiyomi Ikuto's face when he sees me surrounded by the dead bodies of his people.' I smiled, scaring a small child nearby, causing him to run to his mother in tears. This only made me smile more 'Let him run. I will have all Nekos running away from me just like him.'

This thought made me happier than anything. I would completely destroy an entire race of people. I would have power over them. I would get to watch them die, hearing their screams of terror as they ran. I smiled again. This would be fun, more fun that fooling everyone into thinking was a nice, caring person and not what I really am, a Hunter.

Hunters live for the kill. They hunt down whole civilizations, cause thousands of species go extinct, thriving on the power that gives them. I would become the greatest Hunter in all of history. I would become the President of the Hunter's Society, just like my father was.

Knowing that kind of power was within my reach was unimaginable; I had been the favorite son, but I was forsaken when my father once saw me spare the life of a Neko. "No son of mine shall ever spare a life they have been assigned to kill. Therefore you are no son of mine." After my father had disowned me, I learned to be brutal, to feel no remorse for those that were of lesser importance, those that I would kill.

The Neko that I had spared ruined my life and my father's life. That Neko was Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

Contemplating him eminent demise, I realized that if I wanted to succeed I would need the element of surprise. If I visited Amu-san today, I would lose that valuable asset. Instead I decided to head back to my home and contact an old friend of my father's, to inform him of my discovery.

* * *

I worked really hard to make the chapter long. I think I might've actually succeeded this time.

Also, I am, like I did in 'No! It can't be!', shamelessly promoting my other stories.

**No! It can't be!**, Amu has a dream, in which she sees Tadase and Ikuto making out! After going on an outing with the Guardians, she sees her dream in real life! What happens when Ikuto chases after her?

**The Truth Kills**, She was running from their "home", hoping that he wouldn't find her and kill her.

**Five O' clock News**, Kagome Higurashi works at a Dallas TV station as an anchorwoman with her co-worker, InuYasha Takahashi a bigheaded anchorman. Kaede, their… Guardian, trying to get them together has her work cut out for her with these two head strong individuals.

I hope more people review. In the Review Contest there is a definite leader, but I am giving you, my readers, one last chance to "send in" an "entry". Like I said earlier, I will announce the winner in the ANs next chapter.

Ikuto: Have you finally finished the chapter?

Yes, why?

Ikuto: *winks* Why do you think?

*eyes widen comically*

PERVERT!!

*throws Ikuto outside and locks the door*

I can _not_ believe I actually like that perv…..


	5. The Boy on the Floor

Chapter 5: The Boy on the floor

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

This chapter is dedicated to Iloveblue2100, my awesome friend, for her birthday! Happy B-Day Blue!

DarkChocolat, I agree, he is such a dork! Well, peach pit has never really given us a monologue/narrative from Tadase, so maybe he is like that in the manga and we don't know it!

ArtGrrl-Sunna Bluecat, O.O !!!!! Oh. My. GOD!!!!! I've been reviewed by ArtGrrl!!!! O.O *fangirl squee* *nearly hyperventilates* I…I…… just… wow….. and she faved it too….

*faints*

Ikuto: Great! She's _fainted_…

*wakes up*

I'm fine now!

Yuki's Little Girl, I'm glad you liked it! I will work on being a faster updater. (Is that even a word?)

Ikuto: You're welcome! And I'll try my best to avoid that wacko.

Even if it is true, you should be nice to the mentally unstable!

*lightly smacks Ikuto's head*

Ikuto: Oww…

Yori Neko, O.O You reviewed every single chapter in one day! Wow…

*gives special stamina cookies*

L8r Sk8r, interestingly I haven't had to try too hard to lengthen chapters, they're starting to get longer on their own.

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, thanks for giving Ikuto back. And what does a tree have to do with returning Ikuto? Oh….. I get it now…. And still, no one has managed to claim the bonus-y-ness. Thanks for understanding, though he will laugh manically from time to time. Yep so it did, but now I have a different problem. I write this on my laptop and recently I have not been able to connect to the internet, further delaying my posting of this chapter. Big dramatic voice?! No way! It's almost like when I start talking kinda like how Dark Helmet sounds… How about Grasshopper? Yes, it is a bug and I hate bugs (they look so creepy!), but It makes me think of Martial Arts movies, like Enter the Dragon. I had no idea that you actually were a prep…. I'm surprised I got that correct.

AND NOW! THE WINNER OF THE REVIEW CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*musicians pop up from nowhere and play a fanfare*

This reviewer gave me some very entertaining reviews, made me laugh and all around was awesome.

The winner of the review contest is…… going… to be…. announced at the end of this chapter!

*evil laugh*

You thought I'd tell you before you'd read the chapter, huh? Well, YOU WERE WRONG!!!!

*dances the dance of evil*

Ikuto: Amu……

*shakes head, walks over and hits Amu on the head*

Owww! What was that for?!

Ikuto: Stop being stupid and tell them who won!

No! Never!

Ikuto: I'll burn your manga…..

NOOOOOO!!!!

…….

Fine……spoilsport…..

The winner is…….. Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi!!!!!

CONGRADULATIONS!!!!!!!!!

You will be made into a character in this story!!!!

*glares at Ikuto*

Happy now?

Ikuto: Yes, very. *smirks*

Chapter 5: The Boy on the floor

The rest of the night was tiring, I spent so much time trying to convince (more like order) Ikuto-san to go and sleep in the living room.

"No! You can't sleep in my bed with me!" I protested. I'd never been asleep in the same bed as a guy before and I barely knew this… Neko!

"Awww…. Please?" He was trying so hard with his kitty charms. Many times I'd nearly give in, but then I would remember what he had done earlier and my resolve would return.

"No. Bad kitties stay in the living room." He smirked at me. "So if I am a 'Good Kitty' I can stay in here with you?" With every word he took a step closer to me, causing me to back away from him. "No, that wasn't what I-!"

Suddenly I was falling backwards. I waved my arms in a frantic attempt to stay standing and to not hit the floor, but I had nothing to worry about. I had backed into my bed and fell backwards ontop of it.

Then he was above me again, just like before, both of his hands and legs on either side of me. I shuddered at his proximity. He didn't repulse me, but I didn't understand what I did feel when he was so close.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look in to his blue eyes. His blue eyes that entrance me, keep me captive with their gaze. It feels like they can see right through me. I could feel his breath on my face, making my face heat up. He was so close, but why?

"If I do this, will I be considered a 'Good Kitty'?" I opened my eyes and stared into his. There was something in the depths of his piercing gaze, something I couldn't quite recognize. His face inched closer and closer, his nose touching mine.

"Do what?" my voice came out as a low whisper. He has such power over me. Had it been any other guy I would be screaming as I shoved him away from me, but with him I feel as though he can be trusted. "This." And then closed the gap between our faces and kissed me.

I was shocked. I had never kissed a guy before. His lips felt soft, smooth and so good against my own. After a few moments he pulled back, allowing me to breathe.

"Am I a good kitty?" It took a couple of seconds for my brain to register the question. Realizing that he had just stolen my first kiss to make me allow him to stay in my room I shoved him off of me, sitting up as I did so.

"No." I turned away from him, tears forming in my eyes. "No!" He had meant nothing by kissing me, he couldn't have. It shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. "Please, leave my room." I tried to keep my voice from wavering, but I was too upset. Hearing him close the door and walk down the hallway I flung myself into my pillows and cried until I fell asleep.

Waking up the next morning, I was greeted by a Neko curled up asleep next to me.

"Aaah!" and I shoved him off of the bed. 'When did he get in here? I'm usually a really light sleeper, so I _know_ I would have heard him come into my room, specifically because of my creaky door…..' Sitting up in bed I glanced at where Ikuto-san resided on the floor.

'How can he sleep through being shoved to the floor like that? Any normal person would have woken up from that. I forgot he's not "normal" at all…. I guess I'll just have to wake him up the hard way.' The "hard way" involves me going and getting some ice water and pouring it onto a certain sleeping Neko's head.

After I had returned with the glass of water I stood above Ikuto-san's sleeping form. Right as I was about to pour the water onto his head I felt a hand tug me to the ground, soaking myself with the ice water and somehow the icy water ended up completely missing Ikuto-san.

Glaring at him, I attempted to stand, only to find that he had wrapped his arms around my waist. "Let me go." "And why should I do that? You shoved me off of your bed onto the floor and you were planning on dumping _water_ on me. Must I remind you that I am half cat?" Turning slightly in his arms I gave him a death glare. "I said let me go!" I tried valiantly to break his hold, but could not.

He buried his face in my hair, freaking me out slightly. I could feel his breath on my ear. "I think I should punish you for what you did to me this morning." My eyes widened. Undoubtedly his form of 'punishment' would be rather perverted, if his actions yesterday indicate anything.

I considered yelling loudly, hoping that it would make him cover his ears with his hands, freeing me, but I decided against that. What would happen if the neighbors heard me yelling loudly? I couldn't risk them finding Ikuto-san, annoying as he is I _had_ promised to keep him safe.

Instead I whispered "Ikuto-san, please. Let me go." Soon afterwards I felt his hands move away from me and I was able to walk to my closet. "Thank you. Please leave, I need to take a shower and I don't want a guy in my room while I do that." He complied, leaving my room with no protest whatsoever.

Feeling clean and much happier that before, I went into the kitchen to make some breakfast. As I passed the living room, I noticed that Ikuto-san was watching the television. He had the News on. Apparently they were reporting on the many species of animals that had never been on the endangered species list that had suddenly gone extinct. I watch as his face got extremely pale and his hands slowly became fists.

"Ikuto-san? What is wrong?" He turned, startled. "You heard what they just said, yes?" "I did. What about it?" He beckoned me to sit in a chair across from him. "You will want to sit." I sat down in the chair and gave him my full attention.

"The reason all of those species suddenly went extinct is because of the Hunters." I blinked a couple of times, the words slowly sinking in. "You don't mean the same Hunters that hunted your people for their fur?" He turned his head away from me, staring blankly off into the distance. "Yes, the very same Hunters. I never explained what the Hunters are and now you need to know what you are protecting me and other Nekos from. Hunters live to kill and it is their greatest joy when they kill an entire species or race." I felt sick. These Hunters killed creatures in cold blood, deriving joy from watching someone or something die at their hands.

My eyes started to tear up, but I refused to cry. I would not feel sorry for Ikuto-san and the other Nekos. I would help them defeat the Hunters.

"What do you know about the Hunters? I mean, other than that they are murderous……beasts." I leaned in closer, wanting to reach out and hold his hand, to tell him that everything would be okay, but I couldn't. He looked so sad, thinking on everything that the Hunters had done to his people.

Still looking away from me, he slowly started to tell me what he knew. "Hunters have existed since the thirteenth century. In the beginning they hunted the many denizens that plagued the populace, Daemons, Vampires, Werewolves and the like. The first Hunter was a kind, caring man who was a protector of life and not a murderer like the Hunters have become. The Hunters grew from being one man to an organization of thousands, with a Hunter in every country and continent. No one really knows when the Hunters went from being protectors to killers. We can't find anything, no sudden influx of extinct species, no extremely large number of murders and no one had ever kept a log of how many fantastical creatures existed."

"The first time my clan was visited by the Hunters was about forty years ago. A Hunter stumbled upon our village. Soon after that Hunter discovered us Nekos would suddenly and mysteriously disappear with no explanation. Every year after the first Hunter found us the number of missing Nekos would go up slightly by one or two from the year before. Then when I was seven the Hunters came to our village and massacred most of the Clan, Killing my father the Clan Leader. I was barely able to escape alive; a small blonde child had found me as I was escaping. Somehow I managed to convince him to spare my life, just as someone who looked like his father was coming over with his gun aimed at me."

"Ever since that day, I have been the Clan Leader, all of my relatives had been killed in the massacre. I have had many close encounters with Hunters since then, especially with the blonde child's father. Somehow I always managed to escape back to my people. We have been hiding for a long time in the area. There are many safe houses and places where we can hide around the city. That is how we have survived for so long."

Since he had started telling me all of this I had walked over and sat next to him, holding his hand to reassure him. These Hunters had been kind, caring people who turned in to senseless killers. 'I can never be friends with anyone who is or agrees with the Hunters.'

He turned to me; sadness was evident on his face. I hugged him, not caring that he is a perverted Neko, only caring that he was okay. His life had been so hard. No one should ever have to fear for their life like he and his people have. "I will do all that I can to defeat the Hunters. An organization like that cannot be allowed to exist."

I lifted my head to look at him. Awe had replaced the sorrow that had been there a moment before. Slowly a real smile crept onto his face. "You promise? You'll help destroy the Hunters?" I pulled away from him and stood up. "I promise that I shall do everything I can to end the Hunters. Now, what would you like for breakfast? I have to leave for work soon, but I want to be certain that you have been fed."

Ikuto…… never mind….

Now, I hope I'll get to see my BF soon….. I miss him so much…..

Do people want me to hold another Review Contest?


	6. The Brother in the Store

Chapter 5: The Brother in the Store

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

DarkChocolat, really? Ok. I can understand that. You'll probably have the same opinion of this chapter, but I can't be certain.

ArtGrrl-Sunna Bluecat, that sounds awful! My mother once sprayed my back in an attempt to wake me. I managed to ignore it for quite a while… You act? Me too! Though, I prefer to do Shakespeare over any other kind. I am in LOVE with Shakespeare's plays! I…I could talk and talk and talk about them for a long time, but I won't bore you with the deets. (Deets = details)

Yori Neko, glad you like 'em. As you can see by my posting of this chapter, I have written more. You are such a nice person! I'll be certain to do so.

iluvblue2100, you're welcome. *glows with pride* I really liked the last chapter. I got to let my mind run a little wild and that was fun. In this chapter I let things just come to me, which was an interesting experience.

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, yes, you did win. Ummm…. Okay… I agree, but I might not do that in the end. I might do something even "better" to Tadase. Oh….. okay. I can act all stereotypical blonde, which can be a lot of fun when you have someone else doing it with you.

*gives V-H-T an Ikuto plushie*

Since you can't actually have him (cuz he's Amu's) I give you this plushie, which you can stick into closets all you want!

Ikuto: That poor plushie…..

It is an inanimate object! Would you rather be put into a closet????

Ikuto: *quietly* No…..

Chapter 6: The Brother in the Store

After feeding Ikuto (all he ate was the tuna fish I had in my cupboard, he really is a cat) I left for work. I work at a small gothic clothing store in the town's upscale neighborhood as the store's manager.

"I'm leaving for work, Ikuto-san, I'll be back at lunch time to feed you." Ikuto-san lifted his gaze from the book he had been reading to stare at me. "You don't need to do that, I can take care of my self." "I know that, but I need to go and buy you some more tuna fish, you ate everything I had."

He got up out of the chair he'd been sitting in and walked over to me. "Don't leave, I like having you around." I blushed; his words made me feel all odd inside. I shook the feeling off, knowing that no matter what I had to show up at work today, we were getting a big shipment of Dagger Rose in today and I just knew we'd be swamped with customers.

"I can't, I have to be at work today. We're going to be swamped and I will be needed. Any other day and I might've been able to stay home." I gave him an apologetic smile and reached for the door handle, preparing to walk to my job.

A hand stopped me from fully opening the door. "Ikuto-san! I really have to leave, otherwise I'll be late!" I turned slightly to glare at him, but my glare instantly dissipated when I saw how serious his gaze was. "I'm not going to stop you from leaving for work, Amu-san. I need to tell you one last thing."

"What is it?" I was rather curious to know just what had him looking like that. "You cannot tell anyone that I am here, in your house." "But, Yaya already knows you're here. What if she tells someone?"

Ikuto-san removed his hand from the door, letting me open it fully. "If she has told anyone I'm here, then you should leave out the fact that I have cat ears and a tail. If they ask to meet me, tell them that I'm not staying, that I'm only here until I feel better."

I walked out into the morning sun, nodding my head in reply to his request. "I will be certain to do that. I will not let people know you're here. Be certain to keep out of sight when the mailman comes at noon, he almost always looks in the side window to see if I am home."

I heard the door close and lock behind me as I headed off to my job.

Arriving at my workplace, Darkness Awakened, I opened the door and walked back to the stockroom, to see if the shipment had arrived.

"Nade! Have the clothes arrived yet?" I called into the store. Nade is a nickname for my friend, Nadeshiko. She is another of my friends from elementary school. There are not many people who know that Nadeshiko has a twin brother named Nagihiko. Of the two, Nadeshiko is the eldest. I met Nagihiko once when I was in a bit of trouble. Nadeshiko didn't have a job for the longest time and I hired her, as a way of repaying her brother. Now no one could imagine the store with out her.

Suddenly I see a head of dark purple hair pop up from the Loli section and start to head towards me. "Amu-chan! Yep, it arrived, but there was an issue….."

I sighed, this was the third time we'd had problems with a shipment from Dagger Rose. "What is the issue this time? Hopefully it's not like the last time when they gave us the wrong clothes." She shook her head "No, instead they sent us nearly twice as many as we ordered. It still cost the same, but we have more than we know what to do with." My eyes lit up. "This is an issue I like! Well, then we can each have a couple of the extras and then we'll just have more than usual, which means we'll sell more than we normally do! This is a good problem."

Nadeshiko shook her head and we walked to the back to grab some of the shipment to set out before we officially opened for the day.

About twenty minutes later we had everything set up inside the store and a long line of people outside. "It seems like there are more customers than normal…" commented Nade. "I know. We might have to borrow Tadase-san…." I made this suggestion, knowing that Nade had a small problem with him…. Okay, make that a big problem. Tadase once got Nade's brother into a lot of trouble with the law and she still hasn't forgiven him. I had never heard the full story and I knew that when Nade was ready she would tell me just what exactly had happened between the three of them.

Like I had expected a shadow crossed her face leaving her momentarily darkened. She turned to me slowly and I expected to receive the Glare of Death, the world's worst death glare. I was shocked to see resignation instead of a glare.

"Sadly, I think you're right. Much as I hate him, we might just need his help." She said with a little shudder of revulsion. I walked over to Nade and gave her a quick hug before unlocking the doors. "I'll wait until we absolutely _need_ Tadase-san and not before, okay?"

Nade nodded in approval and I opened the store doors. The patrons filed into the store in a very orderly manner. We'd had problems before with stampeding customers, so I'd made it clear to our customers that anyone who runs inside will be put at the end of the line. This tactic has kept the customers from stampeding; keeping everyone, store clerks and patrons alike, safe.

Soon the store was awash with shoppers and sooner than I had expected I had to call Tadase-san in as back up. "Tadase-san, we need your help over at Darkness Awakened. We have way more customers than normal and Nade and I really need your help." "I would be more than happy to come and help you and Nadeshiko-san out." Within ten minutes Tadase-san had shown up and he started to ring people's purchases up.

I made certain Nade wouldn't have to be near Tadase-san too much, so I put her on changing room duty. That left Tadase-san and I working the two lone cash registers in the store.

For a solid two hours we rang up purchases. Multiple times he tried to start a conversation, but I was too absorbed in my work to properly listen. Finally I told him to let me work and that later I would talk to him.

While we worked Tadase-san was a polite as ever, but I could tell that something was different and that he was slightly different than normal. 'I need to ask Tadase-san what is going on later. Maybe he'll tell me, but somehow I just know that he will try to avoid it.' Pondering the change in Tadase-san, I managed to accidentally staple my hand.

"Damn it! I…I mean Owwww!" My explicit cry of pain had grabbed the attention of every person in the store, including a familiar head of purple hair. I looked where I thought I'd seen Nade's brother, but decided that my eyes had been playing tricks on me and that I couldn't've seen Nagi.

Tadase-san turned to me with a shocked expression on his face; none of my friends had ever heard me cuss before. "Are you alright Amu-san? Do you need to go into the back and take care of that? I can cover for you up here." I nodded in gratitude and rushed into the break room to pull out the staple and bandage the injury.

Right as I entered I felt a hand snake across my face, keeping me from screaming, which I tried to do. _"Amu-chan, be quiet. It's me, Nagi."_ Heaving a relieved sigh I turned and faced my friend. "What are-" Nagi hurriedly made a shushing motion _"I mean, what are you doing here?"_ _"I need to talk to you. It is about Tadase."_

The venom had been evident in his hushed voice, shocking me. Nagi had always been a sweet, kind guy and to hear him speak with such hatred was something entirely new to me.

"_At least let me deal with this first."_ I motioned to my hand. Nodding in understanding, Nagi helped me deal with the injury, talking all the while.

"_Recently I was sent a message."_ Nagi carefully pulled the staple from my hand, being sure to cause me as little pain as possible. _"From who?"_ I thought the only person who could contact him was Nade and she would have told me if she had.

"_The stars. They told me that you have a special guest in your house. A very important guest."_ I had forgotten that Nade and Nagi come from a family of famous Diviners. They read the skies and it tells them about the past, present and the future. Nagi is the strongest at reading the present and Nade can read the past. It worried me that the skies had told Nagi about Ikuto-san and that Nagi had come from wherever he is living just to talk to me about it.

"_So, I have a guest. What does that have to do with what you want to talk to me about Tadase-san?"_ Nagi having finished bandaging my hand turned to me his voice firm and barely louder than a whisper. "You must _not_ talk to Tadase about your guest, no matter what. If Tadase finds out more than he already knows your life will be in danger and so will the life of your guest." I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Nagi silenced me with a finger.

"No, do not ask. I cannot tell you any more than I have already. As much as I wish I could, it would be unwise for me to do so. You must ask Nadeshiko to read the past for you. I cannot stay much longer. I must leave before Tadase notices me, and you must return to the front quickly. It might look odd if you stay back here too much longer. I may see you again soon, Amu-chan." and with that final, puzzling statement Nagi seemed to melt into the shadows and disappeared.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, with few customers after the initial rush that morning. Finally I was able to take a break, allowing me to talk to Tadase-san.

"What is going on? You seem to have a lot on your mind today." Tadase looked surprised for a moment, but quickly smiled. "Oh, nothing's wrong, I've had a headache for a while today." I could tell that Tadase-san was lying and that I was not going to get a straight answer out of him.

"I hope you feel better, do you want me to get you some aspirin? Maybe I could have Nade go and get you some." I watched his face closely, to see what his reaction would be. His face remained impassive as he answered my question "No you don't have to do that, I don't take aspirin when I have a headache, but thanks anyways. Oh! I've heard that you have an unusual guest at your house."

Forcing myself to keep my face neutral, I started to freak out. 'Yaya _did_ tell someone! And of course she tells Tadase-san…. I'll have to follow the advice of Nagi and Ikuto-san. I have to downplay the whole guest thing. Wait. He didn't just say guest, but _unusual_ guest. Oh, no! He knows more than just that Ikuto-san's at my house, he knows that he's a cat-boy too, I'm almost certain of it!'

"Yeah, I found a guy unconscious behind a hedge and I took him home to fix him up and I'm sending him home today." I prayed that my lie would work, unlike Tadase-san's had earlier. "That's good to know. I was worried when I heard about you having a guy in your house. Besides, I thought you didn't allow guys in your house."

I struggled to keep my thoughts calm and collected as I started to become even more frantic than before. "Well, this was a special case and it's not likely to ever happen again." By the time we had gotten to this point it was time to close the shop. "You can go home, you're not needed to stay and help close shop. Nade and I can take care of it."

I started to usher Tadase-san out of the store, hoping that he would just leave and not try to be a gentleman. "Amu-san please let me stay and help. I can't let two ladies close up shop all on their own." I did a mental face-palm. Couldn't he tell I wanted him to go? "No, really. We don't need the extra help. Go home, Tadase-san. Thanks for all of your help today." And I pushed him out the door and locked it behind him.

Sighing that I had _finally_ gotten rid of Tadase-san, I went into the back to find Nade. Finding Nade in the back taking inventory, I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Nade…." She turned, knowing that tone. "He was here, wasn't he?" Nade asked a question that had already been answered. "What did he have to say this time?" I recounted the encounter to her, stopping to let it sink in.

"I always knew something was up with Tadase and this proves it. You said that Nagi told you to have me read the past for you?" "Yes, he did and you know that I always listen to Nagi when he's being all mysterious like."

Nade returned to finishing the inventory, a thoughtful look on her face. "Come to my house tomorrow and I'll read the past for you. I know that something serious must be going on if Nagi visited you personally." I nodded and left her to finish the inventory, knowing that tomorrow would be eventful.

Was that an eventful chapter or what? And no, I do not actually think 'Damn' is a cuss word, but I didn't think any actual cuss word fit quite as well...

I introduced two new characters into the story!

Soon I shall introduce Vamipre-Hannah-Tsukiyomi's character into the story line! But, first I'm going to consult her about characteristics for her character.

Wow…. I finished this chapter quickly… and posted it so soon after! I feel good about that!

Do people want me to hold another Review Contest? No one has said yay or nay to that yet. I don't want to make a decision until I get input from you, my readers.

Sorry about not responding to people's reviews, I was so excited to post this chapter that I forgot. Can you forgive me for forgetting?


	7. The Girl in the Trash

Chapter 5: The Brother in the Store

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

Oh, I am so sorry! My laptop was confiscated a while ago and then once I got it back I'd lost my motivation, again. So, SORRY!

*begs forgiveness*

Do you, my readers forgive me?

DarkChocolat, really? Ok. I can understand that. You'll probably have the same opinion of this chapter, but I can't be certain.

ArtGrrl-Sunna Bluecat, that sounds awful! My mother once sprayed my back in an attempt to wake me. I managed to ignore it for quite a while… You act? Me too! Though, I prefer to do Shakespeare over any other kind of play. I am in LOVE with Shakespeare's plays! I…I could talk and talk and talk about them for a long time, but I won't bore you with the deets. Currently I am in a Shakespeare camp. I am playing Ursula, from Much Ado About Nothing. I love this character! (Deets = details)

Yori Neko, glad you like 'em. As you can see by my posting of this chapter, I have written more. You are such a nice person! I'll be certain to do so.

iluvblue2100, you're welcome. *glows with pride* I really liked the last chapter. I got to let my mind run a little wild and that was fun. In this chapter I let things just come to me, which was an interesting experience.

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, yes, you did win. Ummm…. Okay… I agree, but I might not do that in the end. I might do something even "better" to Tadase. Oh….. okay. I can act all stereotypical blonde, which can be a lot of fun when you have someone else doing it with you.

*gives V-H-T an Ikuto plushie*

Since you can't actually have him (cuz he's Amu's) I give you this plushie, which you can stick into closets all you want!

Ikuto: That poor plushie…..

It is an inanimate object! Would you rather be put into a closet?

Ikuto: *quietly* No…..

Chapter 7: The Girl in the Trash

The next morning Yaya was awakened by a rather loud rustling noise coming from outside her house. Rubbing her eyes sleepily Yaya got up, put on her favorite ducky bathrobe and decided to investigate.

Once outside she walked around her house until she noticed a trail of trash that wrapped around her house towards the south end of her home. She stopped and stared at the mess. 'I know I didn't have trash strewn about yesterday…. Maybe someone is playing a prank on me….'

Continuing to follow the trail of trash she saw that the person was still there; they were throwing trash everywhere. Yaya decided that she needed to stop whoever was throwing her trash around and that knocking them out was the best idea. Looking around for something club-like, she found a large, heavy stick. Holding onto the stick tightly, Yaya started to walk quietly towards the flying trash.

'I'm not scared. I'm NOT scared.' Even though she thought this, her shaking hands and trembling steps said otherwise.

Having finally reached the south side of her house, she had to walk carefully around the glass and other sharp pieces of trash. 'I should have put shoes on before coming out here' she thought ruefully. Finally coming up behind the stranger, Yaya took a good look at their back. They were wearing a raspberry beret on their head covering straight, dark brown hair with turquoise and lime green highlights, a bright sunshine yellow scarf around their neck, a lime green army-style coat and patched blue jeans. Yaya couldn't see their shoes from all of the trash that covered their feet.

Raising the stick above her head, she brought it down upon the stranger's head as hard as she could, causing them to fall onto the ground. 'Did it work? Have I knocked them out?' Yaya jumped slightly when she noticed the person moving.

"Hey! What was that for?" shouted a decidedly feminine voice. The stranger slowly turned over and started to get up. Yaya raised the stick threateningly, making the girl stop moving.

"You're digging through my trash! AND you're trespassing!"

The girl merely snorted, unimpressed. "So? What are you going to do, call the police?" Considering this, Yaya's hand that was holding the stick dropped to her side as she thought. 'I could call the police… but then again, they scare me…' The girl, having successfully distracted Yaya, started to move again and the beret fell off of her head to reveal purple and lilac striped cat ears.

The sound of rustling trash drew Yaya's attention back to the girl on the ground. Yaya squealed happily, delighted that she finally had a cat person of her own. "Oh! You're just like that boy! Except you're stripey!" Smiling, Yaya imagined how the girl's life would be once Yaya started to take care of her. 'I could keep her and take really good care of her. Give her the guest room, buy her clothes, and take her out places... Maybe the cat-boy Amu found would like to meet this girl! Maybe…Maybe They're long-lost best friends, or something like that!'

The Cat-girl looked at her strangely. "What boy? And just how am I exactly like him?" Yaya pointed to the girl's ears. "He had those and a tail too, except they're dark blue and not stripey." The girl's eyes got really big. A smile crept onto her face, making her even prettier than before.

"Was he really good looking?" She suddenly sat up and leaned forward expectantly, looking up at Yaya. Yaya blinked rapidly "I…well, yes…. He…he was…." The girl jumped up and grabbed Yaya by the shoulders. "You have to take me to see him! I NEED to see him!"

The girl's sudden outburst surprised Yaya. 'They MUST have been friends a long time ago! Maybe once we get inside I'll call Amu and see if it would be okay to bring her over…'

Yaya reached out to touch the girl's ears, hoping that it might calm her down. "Hey! No touchy! Don't touch my ears, they're really sensitive!" The girl's hands flew up to her ears, covering them.

Yaya quickly drew her hand away. "What's your name?" The girl looked wary, like she didn't really want to tell Yaya her name. "I promise I won't tell anyone here you are. I just want to know what your name is." The girl slowly started to speak.

"My…My name is Hana….. Hana Hoshina…." Hana began to walk backwards so slowly that Yaya was able to grab her by the wrist and keep her from escaping. "Hana. That's a lovely name. Did your mother give you that name?"

At the mention of her mother a closed expression came over Hana's face, replacing the smile that had been there just moments before. "Yes… I'd…I'd rather not talk about my mother. I just don't like to remember what happened…"

Yaya reached out and put a hand on Hana's arm comfortingly. "I promise to not talk about her, though if you ever want to talk about her I am willing to listen." Yaya started to walk with Hana back to her house. Even though Yaya had already decided that she was going to give Hana a place to stay, she wanted to be certain that Hana was okay with this. "Would you like to stay here, with me?" Yaya wanted more than anything to give her a good home.

Looking completely surprised, Hana stopped suddenly. "You… You would be willing to let me stay in your home? You're actually offering me a place to stay? … YES! I'd love to stay here!" Upon this, Yaya smiled, turned and walked towards her house, half-dragging Hana along behind her.

I realize that this chapter is kinda short, but since I had this chapter half written a couple of weeks ago, I cannot remember where I was going with the chapter back then.

I really, really apologize about not updating sooner.

I am, as I said before, in a Shakespeare camp. This camp and the next one run from 9 am to 3 pm M-F for three weeks and then I will be in another Shakespeare camp. This means I will not have too much time to write in the next five weeks. (I've been in the first of the two camps for a week so far)

Ikuto: Why are you so obsessed with Shakespeare anyways? He's just a dead guy who wrote some plays.

JUST A DEAD GUY!? **JUST A DEAD GUY!** He wrote some of the greatest plays ever! They are the ONLY book/writing that has been translated into every language, including KLINGON! (I kid not; they actually have been translated into klingon) Not even the BIBLE has been translated into every language!

I…..I… *eyes flash dangerously* BACK INTO THE CLOSET WITH YOU!

Ikuto: NOOOooooooooo!

*I drag Ikuto over to the closet and shove him inside*

*sound of a door clicking shut and then the sound of bolts and locks being fixed in place*

I'll let you out when you've changed your mind!

Sorry 'bout that… Ikuto has been rather tempermental lately and I am a MAJOR fan of Shakespeare…


	8. The Friend at the Table

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

*talks from a hidden corner*

I know. It's been a ridiculously long time since my last update…. I, once again, lost my motivation and when I was motivated something ALWAYS prevented me from writing. I have part of chapter nine written (out of order, I know, but the idea struck me and it made more sense as a later chapter rather than as chapter eight) already, so hopefully I will be updating sooner this time.

THANKS TO xxxCatsOfTheShadowsxxx FOR KICKING ME IN THE BUTT AND REMINDING ME THAT I HAVE THIS STORY TO WRITE!

XxSingingAgonyxX, I will answer all of your reviews! Or at least try…

Why thank you! I feel so loved!

Really? It's cute? Thanks!

What was so funny that Tadase did?

Good guessing! It is!

*blinks* Wow, you must really hate Tadase…. I hate him a lot, but I'd never marry him off to Saaya…..

Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. And NO! Ikuto was a bad kitty and must be punished! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Actually I will let him out, it's been way too long…..

*walks over to closet and opens door carefully*

AAAAAAH!

*sees Ikuto on the floor, appearing to be dead*

NOOOOO! I should have let him out way sooner… Now I'll never be bugged by him again….. *walks over to bed and throw self onto it in distress*

I'm such a terrible person, I killed Ikuto!

*suddenly shrieks after feeling a hand on my back*

*turns over and glares, but stops horrified*

I-Ikuto?... No… You've become a ghost! Now you'll follow me for the rest of my life! Oh, just kill me now!

Ikuto: I'm not a ghost.

IKUTO'S BECOME A GHOST!11!1! NOOOOOOO!

Ikuto: I said I'm. Not. A. Ghost!

Then explain how you're standing up talking to me!

Ikuto: I was pretending to be dead until a reviewer reminded you that you might want to let me out. So, don't lock me in there again, okay?

…Fine. I guess I got what I deserved, leaving you in there like that for so long…. Hey, how did you survive? I…um… kinda forgot to feed you for quite a while….

Ikuto: Oh, simple. I cut a hole into the wall for me to get out and get food and showers and such.

…You mean you destroyed the back of my closet?

Ikuto: No, everything still fits there, but there's a square in the wall.

Ummm….. okay…

ArtGrrl-Sunna Bluecat, And knowing my former camp mates, they'd love that book…. We ended up watching three of them sing 'I'm on a Boat' the uncensored version, and one of the teachers (The totally epic awesome, Eddie Izzard video bringing, one) videotaped it! That was the first camp. We had a running joke in the camp, 'I've got legs'. It's an Eddie Izzard reference, go look up 'puberty' by him then apply it to Claudio, from Much Ado About Nothing. The other one was common stale amongst the girls.

The second camp was equally epic, I met my Gay Best friend there! He's so awesome…. But sadly, he lives in Texas….. so far away from me…. He works at a renaissance faire down there as a pirate and he works the spinning wooden deathtrap (His title, not the real one, which is 'The Crow's Nest") and he has to jump onto it while it spins.

Yori Neko, glad you like 'em. As you can see by my posting of this chapter, I have written more, even though it has taken such a stupidly long time. You are such a nice person! I'll be certain to do so.

iluvblue2100, you're welcome. *glows with pride* I really liked the last chapter. I got to let my mind run a little wild and that was fun. In this chapter I let things just come to me, which was an interesting experience.

Vampire-Hannah-Tsukiyomi, I'm glad you like her! I thought, since you're so colorful, that Hana needed to be ultra colorful, like she had walked through a rainbow!

Don't I know it. I have my real boyfriend and Ikuto is my manga guy to drool over.

Yay! I'm super happy you liked the chapter!

Did you like the plushie?

FlowerFairy9751, It is Hana, not Utau. In fact, Utau may or may not show up at all in this story. I have more than enough characters as it is.

Yuki's Little Girl, It makes me happy to know so many people like and thought this chapter was cute!

*takes lollipop*

Thanks! I'll keep this in reserve…..

Ikuto: Keep what?

Ummm…. Water! A spray bottle full of water that washed a dog!

Ikuto: Keep that stuff away from me!

*rolls eyes*

Okay Ikuto, I'll keep it away…

DarkChocolat, you are correct! Yup, Ikuto, won't like this surprise too much….

Ikuto: Do I even want to know?

Nope!

Ikuto: *looks at me warily* Okay….

ZXCVBNMEM, Glad you like them!

Mihang, Thanks! Though I've gotta ask... what's Predator Turned Prey? I've never heard of it until you mentioned it...

Manga -luvr-geek, Goodness. I read them all and I've gotta say, you're fun. and kinda crazy, but who doesn't like a little crazy? I know I like it!

Ikuto: *muttering to self* yeah, you definitely like crazy...because you are...

What was that? Did you say something Ikuto? *has slightly crazy glint is her eyes*

Ikuto: Nothing! I said nothing...

Good...NOW! ON TO THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 5: The Friend at the Table

Like Nagihiko had instructed her, Amu then went the next day to talk with Nadeshiko about the past.

Walking up to the traditional Japanese front gate, Amu pressed the buzzer and spoke into the intercom. You might be wondering why, if Nade lived in such a nice home, she needed the job at Darkness Awakened? The house had been in their family for generations and when Nagihiko, the male heir to the family home, ran into trouble and went into hiding, Nadeshiko inherited the house. Though the house was grand and a testament to the family's status and wealth, it did not mean they hadn't had financial troubles in the past. Those financial troubles were what caused Nade to need work at my shop and once she had managed to escape them, she just decided to stay on; she liked the job so much.

The gates opened slowly, revealing the exquisite garden within. Walking up the gently winding pathway, I removed my shoes and placed on my feet the soft house slippers provided for guests to wear and walked in through the grand wooden doors.

Turning down a hallway on my left, I came to a room I'd been in only once before. Behind the shoji lay a room covered in beautiful Japanese watercolors, each picture told a story of heroism, each just as beautiful as the last.

In the middle of the room sat Nade, dressed in a kimono of golden colored silk with a blue koi patterned obi. I felt out of place in my jeans and long-sleeve t-shirt, but made my way over to where Nadeshiko was sitting. She was seated at a low table, a pot of tea and two teacups sitting in front of her.

Not speaking yet, she took in my appearance and nodded.

"I hope the day finds you well, Amu-chan."

Nade had explained before that whenever she divines for a person she must begin by asking the same question, no matter how well she knows them or not and that it would be no different for me. Even still, it felt a little odd, like I was meeting her for the first time all over again, the only difference being that she used chan.

"It finds me well, but a little worried, Nadeshiko-sama"

Like with beginning question, my answer and the use of sama were standard things, things done out of respect for the powers at work. Though most times the answer is 'The day finds me well' and not 'it finds me well, but worried', but then again, I was being honest and in divination, honesty is most important.

"You have come at my brother's command to see the past of one Tsukiyomi Ikuto, a member of the race known as Neko, who is currently staying in your home, is that not true?"

"Yes, Nadeshiko-sama, I come to learn about that which you speak of."

Nade reached out in front of her and picked up the teapot. Pouring us each a cup, she set down the teapot and began to speak.

(EVERYBODY DO THE TIME-SKIP!)

After we had drank all of the tea, Nadeshiko asked me one question.

"Why do you think my brother wanted you to know this?"

I thought about it for a while. Hearing about the Hunters and Tadase and why Tadase would have such an interest in my houseguest made me feel ill. No one should ever do such things. Every person and every creature had a right to life and to take it for no other reason than because you can or because you feel superior to them was sickening.

"Because I must protect Ikuto with all of my strength and because I must defy Tadase. He is not the person I believed him to be and I now cannot find it in my heart to show kindness to him."

Tadase disgusted me. He put on a face for all to see, a face that kept his true nature hidden. Though I knew much of putting on a face to keep others out, this was too much. Hiding a murderous spirit behind a mask of complete kindness… No, it is unforgivable.

"I thank you for divining this truth for me. I will do my best to be as normal as I can around…that..that…person…. I have no desire to let him know I know what he really is"

Getting up carefully, I politely bowed and exited the room. Nadeshiko soon followed behind me.

"How will you keep this from Tadase? He's always been very good at wheedling information out of you, we both know that and I bet he does too."

"Now that I know he is definitely searching for specific information, I can keep this from him easily. Especially since I am so….so…angry and upset with what he has done and wants to keep doing…. These Hunters are like….Nazis or something… Thinking they're better than everyone else and killing off those that are "inferior"…or stand in their way."

Finally reaching the large kitchen, where sandwiches were on the island for us, we grabbed the food and began to eat.

We ate in relative silence, I trapped up in the horrifying thoughts of what had happened to Ikuto's people and so many others like them, and Nade looking at me with a politely inquisitive, but not prying look, on her face. Finally, having finished our food and having not spoken for a good ten minutes more, Nade spoke up and jolted me from my thoughts.

"How would you like to stay over? I know a good sleepover will help make things better, even if it's just for a little bit."

My eyes brightened. It had been _ages_ since our last sleepover and sleepovers with Nade were always fun.

"Yeah! Let's do it! Though I need to call Ikuto first and let him know what I'm doing tonight…"

Amu reached into her back pocket and pulled out her cell and called home. She was so wrapped up in her self appointed task that she never noticed the warm, motherly smile on Nadeshiko's face.

* * *

There! Another chapter after…..well….basically a year….

*ducks to avoid getting hit by flying objects*

I know…. I'm majorly sorry about that!

Hopefully I'll be much, MUCH quicker with the next one…..


	9. The Boy at the Door

Chapter 9: The Boy at the Door

Hi, Authoress Amu Tsukiyomi here!

You all can shoot me, it's okay. I completely forgot about NNT, again…._;;

xxxCatsOfTheShadowsxxx, nope, you weren't annoying me. I needed that. Though…..I ended up forgetting about NNT for nearly as long as I did last time…..ehe Thanks for the encouragement!

, SORRY! I totally forgot about NNT and thank you! Walking through a rainbow would be very awesome, yes.

A couple of days after the sleepover at Nade's, Amu was awoken by the ringing of her doorbell. The loud and annoying sound, which worked better than any alarm clock could. Grumbling to herself about how ungodly the time was, 5 AM, she trudged over to the door and looked out the partially frosted glass.

Shocked and none too pleased to see Tadase standing at her front door, Amu was suddenly filled with rage. She knew that it was uncalled for, she hadn't even opened the door yet to find out what Tadase wanted. But her deep and newfound hatred for him was fueling that rage and she was suddenly very thankful that her front door, though partially frosted, could not be seen into from the outside. Deciding that it was best if she pretended to be asleep, Amu went back to her bedroom and crawled back into bed.

While she laid there, her hand absently running through Ikuto's silken locks, a noise could be heard from the kitchen. More than a little worried, she got up and went towards the kitchen.

Reaching behind the large mirror she had propped against the hallway wall, Amu pulled out a cane that she had hidden there. Preparing to whack whom ever it was over the head, she walked into her kitchen and stopped. Climbing in through the window above her sink was Tadase.

Deciding that she could claim she hadn't really seen who it was, Amu rushed at him and began mercilessly hitting him with the metal cane. Stopping only after she figured it was getting close to being hard to pass off as an "accident", she took a step back and held the cane menacingly in front of herself.

"What do you want?"

Picking himself off of the floor, Tadase looked bad. His head had many bumps on it, his arms were beginning to bruise pretty badly and he was having trouble breathing properly.

"That hurt, Amu-chan."

Placing a look of shock, worry and apology firmly on her face, Amu "rushed" to Tadase's side.

"I'm so sorry, Tadase-kun! I had no idea it was you! This might not have happened if you'd just tried the front door. "

"Well, I did try the front door, but you didn't answer…. I was worried about you. I thought something terrible had happened to you! What if some crazed person or animal had come in here and harmed you?"

Inwardly smirking, Amu congratulated herself on a job well done. 'Good thing Tadase figures me to be somewhat of a "poor, defenseless girl", otherwise I could have never gotten away with that.'

"Why would you climb in through my window like that? Only burglars and criminals do things like that and I know you're not a criminal..."

That morning, Tadase had decided to find out if Amu's "guest" really had left by now. If she was harboring that damned Neko, Tadase knew he could play upon her fears as a single woman. 'Some people are far too easy to manipulate…' he thought while ringing the doorbell.

After thinking he might have seen someone come to the door, he could never be sure, that frosted glass was hard to see through, Tadase decided to sneak inside.

Oh how he regretted that decision now. His head and the rest of his body hurt like hell; he never knew that Amu had such a powerful swing.

"Like I said, I was worried… Especially since you have that…guest you saved the other day staying in your house. You shouldn't do things like that! You live alone, who knows what he might do to you!"

Praying that his plan would work, Tadase watched Amu's worried face carefully, looking for anything other than the anxiety he knew would appear.

"You have nothing to worry about. He left two days ago and while he was here all he did was lay on the couch and sleep. Which, speaking of that couch…. Do…do you want to lie down on it? I'm still really sorry about doing that to you…. The least I could do is let you rest…"

Though he saw no anxiety as he expected, her answer, he could tell, was truthful and she was even worried about him. Slowly standing up, Tadase was happy that damn Neko was back on the streets. 'Though it might be a little harder to find him now, he's out in the elements…and I always did love a good Hunt'

"That's good to hear Amu-chan and yes, I think-ouch-I'll take you up on that offer…"

Ushering Tadase over to the couch, Amu prayed that Ikuto would stay hidden in her room. If Tadase knew that she had lied and that Ikuto was still here….she was afraid of what might happen. Afraid of what Tadase might do to both Ikuto and her.

"Let me get you some aspirin or something, I'll be right back."

After making sure Tadase was lying on her couch, she went to her bedroom and checked that Ikuto was still asleep. Carefully opening the door, she was greeted by a pair of dark blue eyes staring at her. Slightly startled, Amu signaled to Ikuto to wait and be quiet. Whispering so that only Ikuto would hear her, Amu said _"I'll be back, give me a minute."_ Silently closing the door, Amu headed into the kitchen and grabbed her strongest aspirin and a glass of water. Not only would Tadase feel better, but also it'd knock him out for a few hours. That way she'd have time to talk to Ikuto and figure out what to do.

"Here, this should help. I really am sorry, Tadase-kun! I was asleep. Having that guest over really tired me out."

As she spoke, Amu watched Tadase slowly close his eyes, fighting falling asleep. Mentally smirking, she watched him start to speak, but right as he started to talk, he fell asleep. 'Now, to go and talk to Ikuto….'

Walking back into her bedroom, confident that Tadase would be asleep for a few hours, Amu was once again greeted by a blue-eyed stare.

"Tadase."

As the now-hated name left her lips, Amu watched Ikuto's eyes shift from wary curiosity to burning anger. Knowing the animosity between the two, Amu hurriedly went over to her bed and began petting his ears.

The slow rhythmic strokes of her fingers served to cool his anger, but he was still fighting running out of the room and beating Tadase to a pulp. Ikuto had come to trust Amu, something which had surprised him, as he rarely trusted people. But hearing that Tadase was in her home, possibly having been invited, brought up old fears. Instead of doing what he would have normally, which is run away before asking questions, he decided to give her a chance. Whether or not that was a good idea, he was about to find out.

"Why is he here."

He was careful to keep his tone neutral, so that he would not sound like he was accusing her of anything. Amu's fingers stilled and there was a long silence. As he waited for her to answer his question, he noticed that her body had tensed up; she was scared. Doing his best to not let that cloud his judgment with suspicion, Ikuto gently slid his hands around her waist, hugging her comfortingly.

"Amu. Tell me. I promise I won't run away until you've finished speaking."

Feeling her tense up even more, Ikuto carefully turned her face so that she was looking at him.

"Please Amu, speak."

Her eyes, which displayed fear and worry, closed for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she finally answered his question.

"He climbed in through the kitchen window after ringing the front doorbell. He….he was "worried" about me."

As she spoke, it was hard to keep the hatred and loathing from her voice. She'd been fine, not really scared or worried, but as soon as he'd wrapped his arms around her, she'd felt nothing but fear. Fear of what might have happened if she hadn't been woken by the doorbell, afraid that Tadase might have done this even if he wasn't probably trying to find out if she was harboring his mortal enemy, fear that Ikuto might leave. She thought she'd managed to overcome fear, to not be plagued by fearful thoughts, but everything that had happened recently had thrown her little world into chaos. Not that she minded some of that chaos, in fact, she quite liked having Ikuto around. But everything Tadase had done since that day... It had her scared. The boy-no man she once knew was nothing but a front. A lie. Nothing he had ever said could be held as true. Sure, he probably really and truly did like her, and maybe she'd even liked the thought of becoming Mrs. Tadase Hotori, but no more. A monster, that is what Tadase is.

She felt his arms tighten around her and that gave her the strength to keep speaking.

"He was told, by Yaya, a friend of ours, that I had someone, a boy no less, in my house…and she mentioned something about you having ears and a tail….and ever since then Tadase has been trying to come over or talk to me. And….I know why. I know exactly why he wants to…because he….he…wants to….kill you."

Once the words "he wants to kill you" left her mouth, Amu began to cry, shaking in fear and worry. Shaking in fear of Tadase and in worry for Ikuto. She didn't know what to do to get rid of Tadase and to keep Ikuto safe.

"I will kill him."

Ikuto's hold on her had tightened even further as she had continued on in her answer and even more so when she had started to cry. She had been leaning into his arms, laying her head against his chest, seeking as much comfort as he could give her, but upon hearing this she started back.

"No! I….please. I don't…I can't bear the thought of… I don't want you to get hurt, Ikuto, please….just… You being here, it…it…I feel safe, as long as I know you are here and unhurt"

A blush dusted her tear-stained cheeks as she told Ikuto this. It almost felt as if she had just confessed! Which she wasn't, not in the slightest….but it felt that way to her.

"You….you don't want me…to get hurt."

"No! I….like having you here, in my house. A lot."

Ikuto did not know what to say to that. Someone had come to want him around, to want him to stay. So, instead of saying anything, he held Amu close and they both said nothing for a long while, simply holding each other closely.

There we go! I actually finished another chapter!

Feel free to shoot me for not updating. In fact, here.

*hands my readers a gun*

Shoot me. Go ahead.


	10. The Hunters in the Hall

Nakushita Neko Toshi: Chapter X

The Hunters in the Hall

xxxCatsOfTheShadowsxxx, O_O oh my goodness, I did not expect a review so fast! And thanks for not killing me….good thing I have the next chapter kinda finished. Otherwise, it'd take forever and a day for me to update again…

101 PrettyKitty, Oh, no worries, see? I've updated MUCH faster than last time. And thank you!

0x-i-Need-A-Hug-x0, Oh, wow. I just tend to forget for a year….twice in a row….ehe….I'm actually surprised anyone still reads my story! And I'm certain you had a really good reason for not updating! ^_^

Chapter 10: The Hunters in the Hall

Finally, she had gotten Tadase to leave her house. Saying that she figured he would feel much better if he rested up at home. Tadase, continuing his strange behavior, was insistent that he stay the night, in case some ruffian were to climb in her kitchen window. Amu, more than a little angry and still a lot scared of Tadase, pointed out to him, keeping her hatred for him from her voice, that he himself had climbed in through her window and she had harmed him quite badly, for the which she was still "sorry" for. Which, with look of shame, caused Tadase to, finally, leave.

After she had closed the front door, Amu returned to her bedroom. She wanted nothing more than to be near Ikuto. Since he knew what all had happened, both in his life and her life since he'd come into it, she felt safe around him. True, she'd found him unconscious on the ground, a person that she'd, at the time, had no idea if he was good or bad. As she had come to find, Ikuto is more than a good person, but a most kind and caring person, even for all that he had suffered through. True, she felt sad that he had such a painful past, but he had come through it all and to her. For that, she was most grateful.

Walking over to her bed, she climbed onto it and wrapped her arms around Ikuto from behind. A little while after her confession that she liked having him around, Ikuto had withdrawn his arms from around her and looked away, many emotions on his face. Anger, worry, hate and sadness all played together across his face. When she had left to rid her house of Tadase's presence, he had given her a look, fully of concern, but had let her go. This look had struck something inside of Amu. Never before had any boy, man, other than her father, look at her like that and she found that she liked the feeling it gave her.

Placing her head next to Ikuto's, she held him, not knowing what else she could do to help him.

"Ikuto?"

The only indication that he had heard her was a slight turn of his head towards her. Otherwise, he kept looking out her window.

"Are…are you okay?"

Amu hugged him more, hoping he would feel that she wanted nothing more than to help him. In reply, Ikuto turned around and looked at her, a strange and unreadable expression on his face. It made her feel safe, made her feel like nothing bad would come to pass and she always wanted to feel like that.

"I am always fine. But…."

"But?"

Ikuto said nothing, but lightly picked her up and moved her such that she was sitting on his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his face buried in her neck. He held her as though he was afraid she would disappear. As if she was something that he wanted to keep only for himself and no one else.

"But…. I am worried. Worried that something….might happen…..to you."

To say that Amu was surprised by his actions and words would be an understatement. Never had she expected such a thing to happen. No, Ikuto was been the man she had saved from dying, but now…now she did not quite know what Ikuto was. Certainly she had not known him as long as she had others, but she trusted him more than almost anyone. His arms, actions and words of the last few hours and caused her to feelings to change. She felt…cared for. Wanted. And dare she say…loved.

Letting her feelings, new and fragile, control her, Amu carefully lifted Ikuto's head to look him in the eyes. Kindness, caring and even a little love, shone in her eyes. Words formed on her lips, but the look in his eyes stopped them cold. Love. Nothing but love stared back at her. A blush covered her cheeks, and she ducked her head. She felt dizzy. Dizzy and happy. What was it about that look that made her like this? Not even Tadase had caused her to want to be looked at like that.

Watching as Amu ducked her head, Ikuto chuckled quietly and hooking a finger underneath her chin, lifted her head to look at him once more. Her face, which was covered in a deep blush she kept turned away from him.

"Amu."

She turned her head away more.

"Amu, look at me."

Amu ducked her head again and tried to escape his arms, but he tightened them further, keeping her in place.

Knowing that Amu would not look at him, Ikuto bent his head down towards hers and kissed her cheek. Suddenly with a surprised, wide-eyed look on her face, Amu's head shot up. Opening her mouth to speak, be it to shout or to question, Ikuto placed a finger to her lips, silencing anything she might have said. Carefully gathering her up in his arms, Ikuto laid Amu on her bed and laid next to her, holding her close, and pulled the cover up over them, falling into a quiet, content and dreamless sleep.

"Yes, Father."

Standing before the grand, golden throne, Tadase had finished telling his father what had recently happened. Though his father held him low, Tadase still strived for his approval. He knew that this information would please his father and raise him in his eyes.

"You mean that the same Neko you, being weak and soft, let live is somewhere near you? And you have not yet finished hunting him?"

Bowing his head, showing respect to his father as the Grandmaster Hunter, Tadase nodded. Though he knew it would raise him, he also feared that having come without Ikuto's head might cause his father to despise him more.

"Very well. Be sure that when next you come you bring his head as proof. If not, you will find my anger to be far greater than ever before. Leave me."

With that, Tadase was dismissed by a wave of the Grandmaster's hand. Quickly leaving the grand hall, walking down the ornately carved wooden hall way, he was careful to not look at any of his fellow Hunters. They all knew of his failure to kill Ikuto and they all thought him to be weak. 'But when I return, bearing the head of that damned Neko, they will never more doubt my strength!'

Throwing open the door, Tadase confidently and proudly strode out of the deceptively plain glass doors. The Hunter's Main Lodge, as it was called, resided in an old office building. Most people thought it was an information technology business. This belief was strengthened by the fact that everyone who entered either wore khakis and a button down shirt or a suit. But once inside, all Hunters were required to change into their Hunter gear and when they would leave for the day, required to change back into their "work" clothes. This is how they managed to operate under the noses of every single government in the world.

Soon, Tadase would also have his own, specially commissioned, Hunter gear and he would wear it proudly. He knew that Ikuto could not have gotten too far from Amu's house. If he had been as hurt as Yaya had made out, it'd take more than a week or two for Ikuto to get a few miles away, since he cannot use public transportation. Climbing into his car, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of the parking spot, Tadase decided that he must ask Amu to hang out and when they did, he would ask her where her guest had gone.

"Though, how can I get her to tell me? There must be something….ah. Yes. I shall say that I had heard a man who preys on women living alone had been spotted in the area and that his method of gaining entrance into their home was through….feigning injury. Yes. That will work quite, quite well."

A devious and evil smirk graced his features. Driving home, careful to not speed, his smirk turned into a twisted smile of joy. Soon. Soon that damned Neko would die and Tadase's birthright as the next Grandmaster Hunter would be returned to him.

Huh. This chapter….I don't know. I'm not sure if I love it or hate it…..You tell me. Leave me a review telling me if you think I need to rewrite it or not.


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